'No Call' Law Covers Cell Phones

The Don Bosco Senior Center in downtown Kansas City was the site of the signing of HB 1549 by Gov. Jay Nixon on June 14. Accompanied by Attorney General Chris Koster, the new legislation places personal cell phones on the Do Not Call list. A similar bill signing occurred on the same day in St. Louis.

AARP Missouri Associate State Director Sheila Holm represented the state office at the the bill signing in St. Louis. Norma Collins, associate state director for Advocacy represented AARP Missouri at the bill signing in Kansas City. The Governor presented both with a signed copy of the legislation and the pen he used to make the legislation official.

Missourians can now register their cell phone numbers online or by phone at 1-866-BUZZOFF (1-866-289-9633). The no call law prevents telemarketers from calling people on the registry unless that a business has a pre-existing (less than 180 days ago) or current business relationship with the person. Bona fide charities and political organizations or candidates are not included in the term “telemarketers” so are not covered by the no all list. The law covers only cell phones that are primarily for personal and family use, not those used primarily for businesses. The law includes both voice calling and text messaging.

Twenty-four hours after the bill signing, more than 60,000 individuals had registered their cell phones on the no call list. The no call registry is updated quarterly and anyone who adds their mobile numbers to the list by July 31 will be covered beginning October 1. Everyone signing up after July 31 and before November 1 will be covered beginning January 1.

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